You are right, when we MEAN Go, then we DEMAND to GO not in a second or two after the Beemer will get the command and responds "Oh, the driver wishes to get going so I think I should just do that..." but as I press the gas to the floor (and lately I feel like I am pressing it so hard it should end up on the pavement), then I want INSTANT go... I mean this delay has almost got me into serious accidents. And that is what I will bring up extremely seriously in front of the Judge when I will take BMW to court... unless the dealership agrees to take their car off the 3-year lease.

I have been in an X3 2.8 loaner the last week - I'm actually its first real driver with 29mi. on the odo (not trip odo) when I took it. Presumably it's a '13 and the one time I jammed the gas to make a turn in front of oncoming vehicles - I had both my kids with me - it was literally a 1 second delay before it even decided to move. No the engine was not off from start/stop mode. I have a hesitation in my X5 too but it isn't this bad. I will never do that again with BMWs though. I'll just wait it out next time. Can't trust these things. Ultimate driving machine huh?

On another note, my X5 is a 6-speed and this is an 8-speed. I feel a little jolt while accelerating from stop and it's the gear changing from first to second very quickly. It seems as though it has too many gears for its own good. People say the 8-speed is smoother but honestly it's not to me. At least not for the city driving I do all the time. The one obvious plus is it feels a ton lighter and easier on the fuel economy.

Lastly the start/stop of the engine at red lights drives me nuts. If it were my own car I'd worry about longevity of parts. If I actually stop at stop signs for a second, it would shut off - shouldn't it allow for a longer delay? But the most annoying thing is the engine vibration you actually feel EVERY TIME it starts and stops. Were it not for that, it would be pretty seemless. I keep turning the feature off when I start the car because there seems to be no way to keep it off as default in idrive.